MSc Pharmaceutical Analysis
Belfast, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30 Jun 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 27,600 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international fee
Key Summary
Acquire the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience for a career as a Pharmaceutical Analyst in Industry or Academia.
Why study this course?
Our industrial partners are always telling us they need people like you. Analysts are among the most sought after professionals with some of the highest employability rates.
You will receive practical training on state-of-the-art separation techniques, such as HPLC/MS and GC/MS, in the purpose-built Pharmaceutical Analysis lab designed in partnership with Agilent (a world-leading instrument manufacturer)
Please note:
Applications for this course received after 30th June 2026 may not be accepted. In addition, a deposit will be required to secure a place.
Pharmaceutical Analysis Highlights
This programme is taught jointly between the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and the School of Pharmacy by leading experts in the field.
Industry Links
- Our industrial partners have influenced the course structure, to tell us what they need from the latest analytical graduates. We have guest lectures from industry to tell you about the issues they face, out in the field.
Career Development
- Employability is a major perk of the course. Ireland, north and south, is a major hub for the Pharmaceutical industry.
World-Class Facilities
- Everything is on-campus, and the course is very hands-on and interactive. You will receive practical training on state-of-the-art separation techniques, such as HPLC/MS and GC/MS, in the purpose-built Pharmaceutical Analysis lab designed in partnership with Agilent (a world-leading instrument manufacturer)
Student Experience
- Dr Panagiotis Manesiotis, the course director, has a background in analytical and materials chemistry. His research covers Plastic antibodies: making from polymers what nature makes from proteins: creating more robust and less expensive antibodies. Environmental clean-up: engaging with the food industry and environmental protection agencies to recover valuable resources from waste and recycle them into useful materials – including phosphorus and nitrogen in food production waste, and even heavy metals from wastewater.
You are probably a recent physical or life sciences graduate – chemistry, pharmacy and biology.
But you could equally be in work and want to develop your professional skills. If you are, we offer this course part-time as well, one day per week.
This programme is designed to prepare students for employment as analysts in the pharmaceutical and related industries.
There is currently a high demand, both locally and internationally, for graduates with analytical skills in this sector.
Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group and, therefore, one of the 24 universities most-targeted by leading graduate employers.
Employment after the Course
WHERE YOU MIGHT BE IN FIVE YEARS' TIME?
- You might be working as a laboratory analyst or senior analyst, in quality assurance or quality control or in an industrial R&D facility.
- You could be managing graduate recruits of your own, signing off the analysis and the quality of drugs and releasing batches into the world.
- You could study further towards obtaining a PhD and continue towards an academic career.
The main focus of this degree is pharmaceutical analysis, but your training could open up career pathways in other areas, such as the food industry or environmental protection.
Employment Links
Many of our previous students have gone on to work for companies such as:
- Almac
- Randox
- Norbrook
- Pfizer
- AbbVie
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
Course Structure
If you have a primary degree in chemistry, pharmacy or a related subject, this degree is designed to provide you with advanced knowledge and high-level practical skills in laboratory analysis, and meets the ongoing need for analysts in the pharmaceutical industry.
Apart from basic and advanced separation, spectroscopic and
characterisation techniques, you’ll learn about aspects of quality assurance and quality control, as well as the preparation of scientific and technical reports.
Course Details
You’ll learn the theory behind state-of-the-art analytical techniques and have an opportunity to practice your skills using the most modern instrumentation.
You’ll be trained on techniques such as:
- Liquid and gas chromatography (HPLC, GC)
Mass spectrometry (MS) - Thermal Analysis (DSC, TGA)
- X-ray crystallography (PXRD, XRD)
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
- You will also receive training on QA/QC aspects of the Pharmaceutical Industry.
For your summer Advanced Practical Skills module, you will spend 10 weeks on a project chosen from three core course topics.
Indicative Number of Modules Per Semester
- Full-time: Two Modules
- Part-time: One Module
Indicative Proportional Mix of Time in Classes, Tutorials/Seminars/Labs, and Private Study in a Teaching Semester
Full time course:
Contact time:
- Lectures / Seminars 60 hrs.
- Laboratory / Workshop classes 40 hrs.
Study time:
- Coursework 100 hrs
- Preparation of written/oral reports 100 hrs.
- Private study / revision 300 hrs.
List of Indicative Programme Modules
- Advanced Separation Science
- Solid-State Characterisation I
- Spectroscopic Analysis Methods I
- Solid-State Characterisation II
- Spectroscopic Analysis Methods II
- Quality Assurance/Control in the Pharmaceutical Industry
- Advanced Practical Skills in Pharmaceutical Analysis
Modules
Full-time study:
The course comprises six taught modules, three per semester:
- Advanced Separation Science: (Sept-Jan) (20 CATS points).
- Spectroscopic Analysis Methods I and II: (Sept-Dec and Jan-May) (20 CATS points each).
- Solid-State Characterisation I and II: (Sept-Dec and Jan-May)
These six modules include a large number of practical sessions, which involve conduct of experimental work using state-of-the-art analytical techniques and instrumentation, literature search and preparation of scientific reports.
- Quality Assurance/Control in the Pharmaceutical Industry: (Feb-May) (20 CATS points).
- During the summer semester (June-August)
Part-time study:
In Year 1 students will take:
- Advanced Separation Science (Sept-Dec)
- Solid-State Characterisation I and II (Sept-Dec and Jan-May)
In Year 2 students will take:
- Spectroscopic Analysis Methods I and II (Sept-Dec and Jan-May)
- Quality Assurance/Control in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
These six modules include a large number of practical sessions, which involve conduct of experimental work using state-of-the-art analytical techniques and instrumentation, literature search and preparation of scientific reports.
During the summer semester of Year 2 (June-August) the students will undertake the laboratory-based research project with an accompanying dissertation.
We were ranked 13th in the UK for the study of Chemistry and joint 1st in the UK for research intensity in Chemistry (Complete Universities Guide UK 2023) and are 8th in the UK for Chemistry graduate prospects (Complete Universities Guide UK 2025).
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas (excluding Initial Teacher Education/PGCE, where undergraduate student finance is available). Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.